It is one of the great sadnesses of the UK’s musical culture
that whilst it regularly remembers and celebrates the work of
‘foreign’ composers its own native born talent is
often overlooked. How many of you have heard of Robin Orr and
of those who have, did you realize that this (2009) is his centenary
year. The exact date was in June and he was born in Brechin,
Scotland. Well done again to Guild for pointing this out to
us in this fascinating collection of historic recordings. Indeed
it was Guild who issued the recording (GMCD
7196) of Orr’s orchestral works in 2000 when the composer
was still with us.

The disc opens with the earliest recording and the earliest
composition the ‘Sonatina for Violin and Piano’.
The first movement is spiky and rhythmical with a prominent
piano part. In the more lyrical and enigmatic movement two the
violin dominates. In the much longer finale the players are
partners both in contribution and in mood. It is difficult to
fathom why this attractive and short work has not made it into
the repertoire at least occasionally. The recording from 1948
has stood the course of time well and the re-mastering is excellent.
The piano sound is however just a little recessed. Rostal and
Osborn make a fine team. They worked together for many years
and it was tragic that Osborn died so early - at the age of
forty-nine - at the height of his fame.

The next work - the immediate post-war Viola Sonata - is less
light-hearted. Speaking of recordings I was rather disappointed
by the recessed and dull quality of this BBC Recording which,
after all, only dates from a 1977 live concert. Nevertheless
it takes nothing away from the quality of the music. It’s
a four movement work with a most beautiful and memorable second
movement marked ‘Elegy-Dolente’. That is followed
by a restless and violent but brief Scherzetto and a fascinating
Finale which has two passages of ghostly ‘sul ponticello’.
Scottish violist James Durrant plays expressively but he has
a few intonational difficulties at times in the finale and in
the Elegy when passages are in the ‘ozone layer’.
Pianist Lawrence Glover is immaculate throughout.

Robin Orr did not eschew tough and at times almost atonal music
despite the fact that one might well have taken the view of
him as being somewhat conservative. The immediate post-war period
also produced the three movement ‘Serenade for String
Trio’ with its desolate middle movement and quite acerbic
Presto ending. The performance is extremely fine and
committed. The recording will appear thin, a little shrill and
strained at times and not able to cope when the music is at
its busiest and most passionate. I found it best to put the
treble right down and the bass well up. It’s worth it,
because this is piece well worth exploring further.

To continue with the contrasts - a duet comes next. This, like
the Viola Sonata and later the Violin Sonata are introduced
by the old sort of plummy radio announcer. As he says, the last
section of the work “is more relaxed” but the rest
is energetic and quite tough. For the first few seconds I thought
that I was listening to a Bach Two-part Invention, but at approximately
8:55 I thought that two more instruments had secretly become
involved so powerful was the double-stopping of both instruments.
At some moments there is a little distortion on the recording
but the whole work was most painstakingly rehearsed and realized
by cellist Elisabeth McDonald and Edwin Paling who until 2007
was the leader of the RSNO.

Finally we come to the Sonata for Violin and clavier. That’s
the way it’s announced but it is playable on the piano,
or harpsichord as here. I have commented above about the quality
of these recordings. I don’t want to say any more except
that yes, sometimes the harpsichord does sound like an over-excitable
doorbell and yes the balance between the two players is not
as good as we have come to expect nowadays. Nevertheless this
is a surprisingly good recording considering that it is half
a century old. Orr does not fall into the trap of others of
his generation who decided to use a harpsichord, that is the
rather debilitating neo-baroquerie of a mock suite. Orr stays
true to his nature. The outer movements are rhythmical, contrapuntal
and energetic; the slow one passionate and deep. It’s
good to hear Thurston Dart playing a modern work the idiom of
which he obviously has quickly grasped. Granville Jones was
a regular recording artist for several years.

This is an enterprising release and is apt indeed in this centenary
year. It would however be good if a recording company somewhere
decided to tackle some or all of Orr’s three symphonies
(see
review of the Symphony in one movement) which deserve at
least an airing.
Gary Higginson

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